Lesnar’s progeny

Is MMA the last hope for washed up, has-been and never-quite-were pro athletes? That’s the basic thesis behind a New York Times blog post about all the ex-NFL players on the upcoming tenth season of The Ultimate Fighter.

Marcus Jones was a former first-round draft pick and defensive end for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Matt Mitrione was a backup defensive lineman for the New York Giants, Brendan Schaub was a fullback on the Buffalo Bills practice squad and Wes Shivers played one season at offensive tackle for the Atlanta Falcons.

None of them had much martial arts experience: Mitrione studied karate in high school while Jones admits that until he and his buddies started goofing around in the living room after a UFC event two years ago he’d never thrown a punch before (he tired easily and was quickly submitted by one of his smaller pals).

The gold standard, of course, is Brock Lesnar, the almost-Minnesota Viking and current UFC heavyweight champ. Too bad the story buries the fact that before Lesnar joined the UFC, before he was a WWE wrestling star, and before he failed to make the Vikings, he was an NCAA wrestling champion. It’s not like he studied some Mr. Miyagi instructional tapes as a kid and decided to become a mixed martial artist. It’ll be interesting to see how the heavyweight contenders on TUF will make out.